About Us
Everyone involved with Inspired Living is a volunteer. Read on below to find out a little more about us.
Honour Roll
We would like to thank those who have helped us in the past. Read about them here.
Founders
Tim Frank
Following the death of Marey, my wife of 24 years, from breast cancer early 2009 I resolved to do what I can to prevent other families suffering such a great loss. Please read my overview of the project for a little more about me & what the project is about, but basically I have been a GP in Hampshire Eastleigh/Chandlers Ford since 1990 & have spent all my professional life fighting disease. Cancers are far better treated now than when I started in partnership but we have a long way to go. Cancer Research is essential & fruitful but expensive; the researchers need all the help we can give them.
Our project is ‘real life’ research into how we can reduce cancer risks in populations, what simple, realistic changes can we make to large number of ordinary people to make less of them contract cancers.
We believe that by taking 100 volunteers through relatively minor dietary changes & a simple exercise regime we will be able to demonstrate a reduction in cancer risks. We will also measure heart & vascular disease risks because the same interventions to reduce cancer risk seem to reduce those risks too.
The other ‘side effect’ of improved diet & excercise should be an improvement in a sense of well being; however, all will be revealed as the project progresses…read on!
Lionel Jones
I’m married with 2 daughters (12 and 15), I’ve been a friend of Tim for many years as our children were in the same swimming club, where we spent many hours fixing the problems of the world while the kids were training – any parents with swimming children would understand this (:O).
While I try to keep reasonably fit, I’m not a cyclist, which means I’ve got a lot of work to do to be ready for the ride to Gibraltar in 2010. Managing to do this while working on the organisation of the event, and keeping up with my real job is going to be a real challenge, for both me and my family, but one I’m happy to accept as I believe what we are doing is really worthwhile.
Almost everyone I have spoken to is very positive about what we are doing, but we are volunteers working on this in our free time and need your help to achieve our aims. So I’d like to thank you in advance for any support or assistance you are able to offer to us.
Justin Churcher
I am married to Sally (who is an amazing cyclist) and have four children, Sophie, Elliot, Samuel and Lottie. I have been a friend of Tim for a good many years. We used to like nothing better than an early morning ride up on the South Downs on a sunny morning or even when the weather was not great (ask us about the electrical storm). Over the years we have ridden in the London to Brighton and along the South Downs Way raising money as we went.
I am not the fittest person in the world, far from it, but I can rise to a challenge, this team will get to Gibraltar and will raise an enormous amount of money to try to make Cancer a thing of the past. Please support us in any way you can.
Project Team
Paul Ivinson
There can’t be many people who have not been affected by cancer. In my case it was the death of my father in July 2007. Many of us feel powerless; unless you are in medical research it’s not obvious that you can do anything. A call for volunteers was circulated at work and I realised I could give some of my time and professional experience to make a difference.
I studied electronic engineering at university and worked as an engineer for ten years before moving into project management. Apart from three years as a regular manager I’ve been managing projects ever since so volunteering to help Inspired Living was a natural move.
I’m still an engineer at heart. I have converted the garage into a reasonable workshop with a lathe and milling machine. I use these, when I get time, to make model steam engines. Currently I’m building a model of a tank engine. I just need to get on with the boiler.
Mike Spencer
I joined up with Tim and the team because it’s such a worthwhile cause. Most of us are directly effected by cancer so the idea of contributing to research while raising money, riding my bike and perhaps getting in shape was just too good to miss.
Cycling is my hobby. Pleasure rides on Sundays with friends. I’m currently doing a Randonneur-Round-The-Year which involves a 200km ride each month of the year. I’m a member of Audax UK and The CTC who have a South Hants section. You may want to train with some of their Sunday rides.
Lizz and I have been married for 28 years and we have four children. Will Lizz or one of them join the ride ? Who knows ?!
Anne Workman
I moved into Project Management in Oct 2008 from a testing role, having spent 3 years taking any PM education I could.
I’m involved with InspiredLiving to gain a different experience to my day job and because I love new opportunities to network. I am also honing my technical skills by acting as Webmaster (with help from Dan Harrison at Running a Website).
In my spare time I read and go to the cinema, I also enjoy entertaining – particularly holding dinner parties as I love cooking
Barbara Brown
I became involved with Inspired Living for three reasons. Firstly, as a friend of Marey, who I had got to know through the swimming club, secondly, because my husband Andy, who is doing the full ride to Gibraltar, suffered cancer 13 years ago and we want to give something back for the treatment which saved him, and lastly, it is something worthwhile to do with my spare time now that our daughter Rach has gone to Exeter University.
I help out with the organisational side of things, such as the Gala Dinner and setting up the online Cycle 4 Life registration, and generally pick up tasks which need to be tackled. I keep track of who is doing what, following up as necessary. I specifically help Tim keep up to date as he juggles the demands of being a GP and a single parent of 2 very busy teenage children. I am hoping to do the Cycle 4 Life ride, but despite good intentions I am struggling to dedicate time to losing weight, getting fit, and going out on my bike. Perhaps I will be re-inspired once the warmer weather arrives!
Cycling Project
Andrew Gibson
We are still trying to extract a brief bio from Andrew! For now let it be sufficient to say he is the motivator behind the Italy Top to Toe 2011 ride.
